MOM says thanks for Christmas charity

Middleton Times Tribune Opinion - January 3, 2008
by Cindy Liu, MOM Christmas Dinner Volunteer Coordinator

Dear editor:

In this open letter to the community, I want to say thank you. The past several weeks I have been blessed with the opportunity to see what can happen when a community truly comes together.

As the Middleton Outreach Ministry (MOM) Christmas Day Dinner Volunteer Coordinator, I witnessed the many people who donated their time, resources, and made financial contributions to help those in need this Christmas season.

Dozens of people from the community and from the churches with whom we regularly work stepped up to donate the turkeys, hams, stuffing, cider, salads and desserts we needed to serve just over 500 meals (424 in the Perish Hall at St. Bernard's, and close to 80 carry-out meals and deliveries).

Clausen's and Scott's donated bread, Hubbard Avenue Diner donated pies; and the Marriott, Fairfield, Residence Inn and Hilton Garden all donated rooms to homeless families (totaling 70 people) who would then be driven by volunteer drivers to join us on Christmas day.

Volunteers also donated the time needed to cook, prep and serve an all-you-can-eat Christmas dinner with all the trimmings to all who came through the doors. Money that was donated (over $1,000 specifically designated to help us feed those in need this Christmas) more than covered our expenses, and was used to buy everything from potatoes and cranberry sauce to milk for the kids to drink with their meals.

Finally, a special thank you to Bill and Nette Schlinsog. This was their final year coordinating all that goes into cooking a meal for 500 people. They are retiring after serving our community in this capacity for over 20 years and they will be missed. We cannot thank them enough for the years of dedicated service, and the mentoring they have done for those of us who are working to fill their shoes in the years to come.

Mother Teresa has been quoted as saying, "God doesn't look at how much we do, but with how much love we do it." In the past several weeks, I have found joy in speaking with so many people in our community that just wanted to help in any way they could.

Thank you, Middleton, for your generosity. Without each person sharing a couple hours of their time, donating much-needed food, or making a year-end donation, we at MOM would never have been able to share the warmth and love of good food and good company with so many this Christmas.

If you want hands-on, year-round opportunities for giving, check our website, www.mompop.org.

Thank you, one and all, for letting your light shine through MOM this Christmas season.

Gratefully yours,

Cindy Liu

MOM Christmas Dinner
Volunteer Coordinator